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Sunday, 28 June 2015

UCLan students support charity strongman event

Four UCLan Sports Therapy students gained valuable industry experience as some of the UK's largest athletes battled to be crowned Blackpool's Strongest Man.

The quartet played a key role in offering soft tissue therapy support to competitors who had gathered in the resort to take part in a series of exciting challenges.

Lecturer Rob Hamilton said it was a fantastic opportunity to consolidate their hands-on therapy skills in a very unique environment.

"The event helped the students hone their handling skills and fine tune their techniques on a very different body type than they had previously encountered," said Rob.

"The feedback from the athletes was second to none, praising the benefits they experienced and how much it helped them to perform to their best ability."

Organised by the Lancashire-based Our Local Heroes Foundation charity, the event formed part of Blackpool's Armed Forces Week celebrations.

After a gruelling day of tests including a truck pull and a car deadlift, Dale Peters was crowned champion with Ryan England runner-up and Jon Bleach in third.

Student Nicole Benson said working at the event was an enjoyable experience: "Massaging such muscular athletes was a lot different to what I've done during my first year. It's given me more much more confidence in my skills and I was really pleased to receive positive feedback about my work."

Andrew Ball added: "The event was an excellent learning experience for me. I picked up different techniques from the other therapists and I feel this will be of big benefit to me when I progress onto my second year."

UCLan Physiotherapy & Sports Therapy

Welcome to UCLan Physiotherapy and Sports Therapy (PaST). Our courses provide students with a modern approach to learning. Integrating a wide range of skills, experiences and opportunities helps to produce a well-rounded and qualified graduate therapist equipped to work in their chosen sector.